Dragons' Legacy
by Tallbrain123
Summary: A few hundred years before the events of Skyrim, a pair of dragons desperately sought to save their self-destructive race. Sent into the future by the power of an Elder Scroll, these dragons explore, make friends and enemies, and figure out whether to find their way home or stay in this time, and raise a new generation of dragons. No language, little violence. [WIP]
1. Prologue: A Dim History

Okay, then. This will be my second story, and my first that isn't a crossover. But I have some notes that I need to get out of the way.

1: I don't know hardly anything about the dovah language. It probably won't appear in my story.

2: I barely know anything about the history of Tamriel. If I mess up, you can tell me, and I'll try to correct it.

3: I (obviously) don't own anything associated with the Elder Scrolls series of games.

4: No, I don't yet have a plan for this story. Why? Well...Good question. I'll figure something out, though.

5: Yes, once again my goal will be 1000+ words per chapter.

6: I know, the dragons' names aren't the three-word thing, but I don't know much about that. If you have a suggestion, I'm happy to hear it.

* * *

Prologue

"Did you bring it?" a man asked, dark robes obscuring most of his body and face. A long gray beard hung from his chin, and his gnarled hands wrung each other nervously. He glanced about the cave he was in, looking for anything amiss. The flat stone floor lay cold and colorless. The walls were much the same, untouched by anything for many years. Nothing sat in the cave that could spell harm to him or his quest, but the importance of it still put him on edge.

"Of course I did," someone answered in a deep voice. The speaker was a dragon. He was large, even for a dragon, and his scales reflected the man's torchlight with a dull red hue. But the man wasn't frightened at all; this dragon was one of his few allies.

"Calm down, Engir," a second dragon said. His eyes went over to her smaller bluish form, and he locked eyes with her. "The others don't know what we're doing here. We're safe."

"We aren't safe, so long as our races are at war," Engir said.

"The other dragons are fools. They will bring our world to its knees, and then they will be destroyed. Alduin will lead them to their graves."

"Yes, Dauf," the female dragon said, "That's why we're doing this."

"I'm aware, Ceilili. But it doesn't make betraying our kind easier."

"We aren't betraying them. We're saving them."

"You've said that before, but I don't know how I can believe you. I'd rather be fighting."

"And just who would you fight?"

"I don't know. But this...it seems cowardly."

"It's nothing of the sort," Engir said. "You two will ensure the survival of the dragons. And you will raise them to befriend the other races."

"I've heard this all before," Dauf complained. "Let's get this over with."

"You have the scroll?" Engir asked.

"Of course! You already asked that."

"Shh! Keep your voice down. Then give it here."

Dauf reached to a satchel strapped to his thigh and opened it with his teeth. Being less careful than he probably should've been, he pulled out the Elder Scroll inside and passed it to the man. After receiving it, the man passed his hands over it in awe.

"We've spent months trying to get our hands on it," Ceilili said. "I hope it was worth it."

"I should say so," Engir said. "The Elder Scrolls' power is told of in fables, but to actually hold one myself..."

"Engir, just hurry up, before I change my mind," Dauf said.

"You agreed to this long ago," he said.

"Maybe, but leaving everyone and everything behind...I mean, you're talking about time travel. The future."

"Yes."

"I know...it just sounds like something out of a fairy tale."

"And we're dragons," Ceilili said. "Some people on Tamriel still think that _we're_ just fairy tales."

"Like I said, I agreed to this. Now hurry up, before I decide not to do it, or worse, Alduin finds us."

"I agree," Engir said. "Let us begin."

"And divines help us," Dauf said. He and Ceilili moved in front of him, standing side by side. They glanced at each other, and then back to Engir. He held up the scroll toward the dragons, but refrained from opening it just yet.

"Remember, you need to look at the scroll as soon as I open it, or the timing may be off. In this especially, timing is everything."

"Trouble!" someone shouted from the cave's opening. Ceilili looked up. "They're here!"

"Hold them off," Engir shouted back at him. He abruptly opened the scroll, and Ceilili glanced at Dauf instead of the scroll on accident. She saw him recoil, and turned to look at the scroll, but wondered if their plan would still work because of her delay. She recoiled when she saw it, the scroll painting an image before her eyes that began to slowly fade. Through blurred vision, she saw something cover the cave's entrance, and then Engir shouted.

Using the powerful language of the dragons, Engir loosed a shout like none other, and Ceilili was thrown back into a portal. Her vision cleared before long, and she watched helplessly as Engir was knocked down by a darkly colored dragon. She tried to cry out to him, but whatever tunnel she was still falling back into seemed to draw her back, and the sound was lost. The opening closed after a short time, and she suddenly lost the feeling of being in a tunnel. Now, she just seemed to be floating on the air, but the air didn't pull on her wings like it did when she was flying.

As time passed, she became less and less enthralled by the feeling of free falling, and more concerned with when this misadventure would end. As far as she knew, after all, Engir was dead. And as she looked around, she couldn't see Dauf anywhere, either. But if Engir's plan was working, and she really was travelling forward in time, then perhaps everyone she knew was dead. Maybe their plan would actually work, and she would appear after Alduin was slain.

After a few minutes of travelling through time, she suddenly began to feel like she was getting faster. She felt like she was falling now, but wind still wasn't rushing past her. She was so disoriented that she couldn't even tell which way she was falling – and in here, falling up didn't seem too unlikely. The feeling was made worse, though, when she first began to feel wind again. She tried to unfurl her wings, in an effort to slow down, but the action just sent her spinning through the air. Before she knew it, she fell out of the portal, and realized that she was now upside-down. Before she could look around, her head smashed into a wall, sending a shock down to the tip of her tail. She hit the ground with no less force, and was almost surprised when she had trouble keeping her eyes open. She tried to stand, and managed to take a step, before her legs suddenly gave out, and she collapsed on the floor, unconscious.


	2. Chapter 1: Awakening

Once again, I don't know much about Skyrim's lore, and I don't own it. Any complaints, I'll hear them and likely modify my story.

* * *

Ceilili awoke to a bright shaft of sunlight shining in her eyes. She opened her eyes, still groggy, and glanced around without lifting her head. Her mind and vision were clouded, and the back of her head hurt for some reason. She tried moving her limbs, and found that she had suffered no major injuries, but since she couldn't remember what had happened or how she got in this cave, she couldn't assume she was in no danger.

She finally lifted her head, and it throbbed painfully. She winced, but didn't lie back down. As her vision slowly cleared, she took in the details of the cave, and couldn't help feeling that it was familiar. That made sense, because she must have gotten into this cave somehow. Maybe she wandered in here for shelter. Maybe her memories were returning.

She took a deep breath, and suddenly heard a loud crash from somewhere above her. Dirt was shaken free from the ceiling, and the ground shook slightly. Her head whipped back and forth as she looked for an exit, but just as suddenly as the quaking had started, it stopped.

"This cave may not be safe," she thought aloud. But as she looked around, images began to come to her mind. An old man in gray robes. A male dragon alongside her. A harrowing fall through a portal. As a flood, her memories returned, and she shot to her feet.

"Dauf! Engir!" she shouted. She waited, staying as still as she could, but she didn't hear anything. The only response she received was her own voice echoing off of the cave walls. "So, I guess it worked," she reasoned, looking down. It was true; everything and everyone she knew was gone.

She took another close look around the cave, and began to piece together her memories with what she saw. Despite the relatively few notable features in the cave, she felt almost sure that she had been in the same cave before she fell into the portal. Engir had told them a few days before that he would try to make them appear somewhere else, but apparently he had failed in that respect. But even as she looked closer, she felt sure that the cave had been smaller previously.

She shook her head slowly. "Engir's gone, and Dauf isn't here," she whispered to herself. "I'm on my own in a different time."

Her ears picked up a voice nearby, and her head whipped toward the noise. She kept close to the ground and crept closer toward the noise, and cautiously looked around the corner. A pair of men were there, creeping cautiously away from a sleeping bear. _What's_...she thought. Before she could even finish the thought, the bear's ears perked up, and it opened its eyes. It growled at the men and raised itself from the ground.

"Now you've done it!" one of the two shouted, pulling out a wooden bow.

"You're the one who insisted on sneaking," the other retorted, pulling out a greatsword and charging at the bear. _Well,_ Ceilili thought, _they are either brave or very stupid_.

She watched the short battle with interest. The bear must have been young or severely injured, because only a few arrows and slashes of the larger man's sword finished it off. It collapsed on the ground in a heap, and the larger man spent a few minutes removing its pelt and claws.

"That was a close one," the first man said when he was rejoined by the second. "Now let's keep moving."

They both turned toward her, and she felt panic rising. She had hoped they wouldn't find her. She backed away and looked around, but she couldn't see anywhere to hide. As they came closer, she moved toward the cave's opening.

She put out her head, and heard something like a gust of wind. Glancing up, she saw a black dragon fly over her head and turn toward a few mountains in the distance. As it flew away, she looked closer, and had trouble believing her eyes. "Alduin?" she asked herself. "He's still alive?"

"There it is!" one of the men shouted from behind her. She turned her head around and looked at the speaker, who had his bow out and was knocking an arrow.

"Wait, wait!" she shouted. The man looked up abruptly, stunned. The bowstring slipped from his fingers, firing the arrow and missing his foot by mere inches. He pulled his leg away and cursed.

"You can talk?" the second man asked.

"Of course I can. All dragons can."

"Well, we've only seen one dragon, and you just destroyed Helgen!" the smaller man accused.

"No I didn't! I was in this cave for..." she stopped. Should she tell them everything?

"It doesn't matter. The other one wasn't a female. And he was black," the larger said.

"Did you say black dragon?"

"We should still kill it!" the smaller man shouted, ignoring her question and pulling the arrow out of the ground. "It's probably in league with the other one."

"Hadvar, calm down. Yes, I did say black dragon. Do you know him?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I came to this cave...to avoid him. I thought he'd died."

"We thought all dragons had died," Hadvar said, aiming his bow. Ceilili would have become nervous, but his words were the final nail in the coffin. _They're really all gone_, she thought.

"So, you aren't his ally?"

"No. He almost killed all of our kind. I was one of a few who fled."

"And why should we trust you?" Hadvar asked.

"Because I'm the last hope for peace between dragons and the rest of Tamriel," she said, holding her head as high as she could in the cave.

"Works for me," the larger man said. "You can follow me."

"Are you serious?!" Hadvar shouted. "Everyone, including me, thinks that dragons are hostile. Your _pet_ dragon will be killed on sight!"

"I'll figure something out," he said. Ceilili couldn't help but wonder about his intellect, but she was thankful for his trust nevertheless.

"Well...we should head to Riverwood. My uncle is the blacksmith there. He'll help us out. It's probably best if we split up; especially if you're walking with that dragon. And good luck. I probably wouldn't have made it out without your help."

"Is he always like that?" Ceilili asked as he walked away. The man just shrugged.

"I just got to Skyrim myself."

"So, where are we headed?" she asked.

"Apparently, Riverwood. But if you really want to follow me, you should stay out of sight. Hadvar's right; people will try to kill you."

"If that's the case, I guess I'll need your help. I have to find someone, but he'll be attacked, too, and he doesn't know it."

"He's a dragon, too?"

"Of course. But I don't know where he is."

"I'm not so sure he'll be alive when you find him."

"He has to be. Without him, I'm no help to anyone."

"Well, I'll be sure not to kill any dragons I come across."

"He's red. But if you see Alduin again, put that sword through his neck."

"Will do," he said, walking down the same path Hadvar had taken.

"Oh, before I go," she said, walking after him. "What's your name?"

* * *

Okay, I know it's sort of a cliffhanger, but I don't know what to name the dragonborn in this instance. Ideas, anyone? Please?


	3. Chapter 2: Errand Boy

Okay, yes, I made the dragonborn (in this case) go with Hadvar. If you don't like the Imperials...well, I can't help you. Also, I don't remember how most of the in-game interchanges go, so if I butchered it (EDIT: I re-did most of it, after re-playing the game), don't form an angry mob and light me on fire. Also, Ceilili is apparently a pacifist; she'll do whatever she can to avoid a conflict with humans. Probably why she was chosen to be sent forward into time.

* * *

Ceilili watched the man enter the small river-side town from across the river. So far, she hadn't been noticed, but hiding a dragon in broad daylight wasn't easy. And apart from his questionable intellect, the man she was relying upon – Elias, he had said his name was – had an incredibly short attention span. An hour's walk to the town ended up taking him more than five times that long. He'd found a mine and cleared it of bandits, stripped the mine of all of its resources, and picked every flower or herb on the roadside along the way. He had even decided to go for a swim, grabbing a series of salmon from the water with his bare hands. Finally exasperated, she had left at that point to find a hiding place and leave him to his foolishness.

Oddly enough, he had made a direct path to town after that. He had stopped to cook the salmon meat in a small camp just outside of town, but after that, he had gone straight to the blacksmith that Hadvar had told him about, and let himself inside.

"A dragon!" she heard from behind her. She turned and saw a man, wearing nothing more than a fur skirt, charging at her with a ball of flames in one hand, and a small dagger in the other.

"I don't want to kill you..." she threatened. Her words stopped him in his tracks.

"It talks!" he shouted. She rolled her eyes. Another man with slightly more armor ran up behind him.

"It doesn't matter. Its hide must be worth a fortune. You know how much skooma we can buy?"

"You idiots," a third man, an Orc in full steel armor, said. "We won't waste the money on skooma."

The whole time, they had been advancing on her, apparently fanning out to trap her between them and the cliff; they didn't seem to notice her wings. But she'd been contemplating killing them. While she tried to justify it as self-defense, some part of her knew that killing men would only make her more like Alduin. And if she painted the countryside red, she doubted if she could receive protection from the Jarls, which was what she would need to find Dauf.

Before the men in front of her could charge, she leapt into the sky and turned away, hoping to get to another mountain north of Riverwood. As she flew away, she felt a sudden piercing pain in her rear leg, and faltered for a moment, before righting herself. Looking down, she noticed an arrow stuck into her calf muscles. She looked back, and saw the second of the three, still holding up a bow and firing. Fortunately, the arrows fell far short of their intended target.

"Bothersome creatures," she thought aloud as she searched for a place to recover.

* * *

Elias entered the home of Hadvar's uncle, Alvor, and took a look around. There wasn't much space or furniture, but the home was cozy. A warm fire heated the house, and a few beds took up most of the space to his immediate right. On the far side of the room, a staircase led down, but he didn't think exploring was a good idea.

"Sigrid! We have company!" Alvor shouted.

Elias remembered that Hadvar was related to him, so he immediately approached the man and asked, "Do you have any supplies we could take?"

"Of course. But what's all this about? What are you two doing here?"

"A dragon attacked Helgen and destroyed it," he said, looking around for anything worth taking. "Hadvar and I escaped together."

"What?" Alvor asked, astounded. "A dragon? In Helgen? That explains what I saw earlier…something flying down the valley from the south…I was hoping I was wrong about what I thought it was."

"The dragon flew off this way. You must have seen it."

"You're right, I saw it. I didn't want to believe my own eyes, is all. A dragon…here in Skyrim. What's this world coming to? First the war, now dragons. Trouble loves company, they say..." he said, looking down. Something apparently occurred to him, and he glanced back up abruptly. "The Jarl needs to know there's a dragon on the loose. Riverwood is defenseless. We need to get word to Jarl Balgruuf in Whiterun to send whatever troops he can. If you would do that or me, I would be in your debt."

"Well, okay," Elias said, thinking it over. "How do I get to Whiterun from here?"

"Cross the river and then head north. You'll see it, just past the falls. When you get to Whiterun, just keep going up. When you get to the top of the hill, you're at Dragonsreach, the Jarl's palace."

Elias nodded, then turned to go. As he exited, he heard Sigrid say, "Hadvar! We've been so worried about you..."

He looked around, and noticed how far the sun had gone down. But he saw the sign over the building across the street, and finally noticed how much he was carrying.

"I've got some time," he thought aloud, walking toward the building.

As soon as his hand touched the door, he heard, "I said no! No adventures, no theatrics, no thief-chasing!" Unperturbed, he walked into the shop anyway.

"Well, what are you going to do then, huh? Let's hear it," a woman said.

"We are done talking about this," the man said, before noticing him. "Oh, a customer. Sorry you had to hear that."

"Did something happen?" he asked.

"Yes, we did have a bit of a...break-in. But we still have plenty to sell. The robbers were only after one thing. An ornament, solid gold, in the shape of a dragon's claw."

"I could help you get the claw back," Elias said without missing a beat.

"You could? I've got some coin coming in from my last shipment. It's yours if you bring that claw back."

"Sounds good. But first, I'd like to see your wares..."

He managed to bargain for what he thought was a good price for most of the things he didn't need, and afterwards, he was quite a bit lighter, while his purse was that much heavier. Before he could even take a step away, the man, Lucan, continued, "Now, if you're going to get those thieves, you should head to Bleak Falls Barrow, northeast of town."

"So this is your plan, Lucan?" the woman asked.

"Yes, so now you don't have to go, do you?" the man replied, sounding pleased with himself.

"Oh, really? Well, I think your new helper needs a guide," the woman said.

"Wh- no... I…. Oh, by the Eight, fine. But only to the edge of town!"

Immediately and without a word, the woman stood and walked to the door, so he followed her. Once outside, she began to tell him about the Barrow, the thieves, and even a little bit about the town, but he didn't pay much attention. He was wondering what had happened to Ceilili, and whether she was still alright. That, and the setting sun began to take its toll on him. After she reached the edge of town and headed back to her home, he entered the nearest building, intending on asking directions to the nearest inn. Conveniently, this building was an inn, and for just a few coins, they gave him a simple room for the night. He removed all of his armor and set it aside, then put his familiar horned helmet on the nightstand, before getting into the bed and drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Okay, I'm getting discouraged. After reading up on the dragons, I butchered a lot of the lore surrounding dragons. First, they probably don't mate (being immortal and all). Sending two dragons forward in time wouldn't help, and it would be pointless to even send ANY forward.

Second, the dragons ruled over the humans. I didn't make it seem like that, what with the dragons fleeing for their lives. In fact, the dragons would have won, if not for Paarthurnax giving the Voice to humans. I'm sure there are others, but...since I already destroyed the lore, I have 3 choices (in order of difficulty):

1. Re-write everything I've done, and come up with a better reason for being sent forward in time.

2. Continue unabated. Lore is unimportant.

3. Give up.


	4. Chapter 3: A Walk

Ceilili awoke the next morning to a growling sound. It went away after a few seconds, so she ignored it and tried to get back to sleep. But it returned soon, accompanied by a sharp pain in her tail. She opened her eyes lazily and saw a lone wolf, attacking her tail as ferociously as it could. A simple thump of her tail was enough to teach it to leave her alone, possibly breaking several bones in its body.

She raised her head and looked out over the valley below. Riverwood was still visible, as was the tower where she'd tried to hide before. Her leg stung, a silent reminder to avoid buildings like that. But as she looked at the path north from Riverwood, she saw a lone figure, one of a few that she recognized. She took off, leaving the injured wolf to tend to its injuries, and glided toward the man.

"Hello, Elias," she greeted.

"Oh, hey, you're okay!"

"Yeah. Some bandits tried to kill me, apparently, but they couldn't do much."

"Well...you're strangely calm as you recall the details of your near-death experience."

"It wasn't 'near-death'. They stuck me with an arrow, that's all."

"You were shot? Let me see."

"It's alright now," she said, even while turning to show him the gap in her scales. "I tended to it myself. It hardly even got past my scales."

Elias examined what was left of the wound for a few moments, before he stopped and stood up straight. "Do you know anything about healing dragons?"

She shook her head slowly. "I do, but apparently you don't. How do you heal your own wounds?"

"Potions. Food. Sleeping. The occasional spell," he said, continuing down the road.

"You can cast spells?" she asked.

"Well, yeah, I just said that."

"No, but...you...actually figured a _magic spell_ out?"

"Hey, I'm not stupid. Besides, I've figured out _two_ spells."

"Oh, boy; Mages' Guild, here we come." Elias took a deep breath and looked away, and she wondered if she'd said too much.

"Ceilili," he began before she could say anything else. "The Mages' Guild was disbanded."

"...Oh."

"It happened a while ago. The end of the third age, I think."

"So...we're in the fourth age, then?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"And Alduin _still_ hasn't died."

"I thought I heard that he'd been defeated."

"How?"

"There was a war. Dragons against everyone else. But I don't know much more than that."

"Well, yeah, _I_ could have told you _that_. As far as I'm concerned, that happened just yesterday."

"So you're really from the past?" he asked as they rounded a corner. A large city became visible in the distance.

"Yeah. That is, if this really is the future. I'll bet Alduin could tell me more, but I won't give him the chance."

"You really don't like him, huh?" Elias asked.

"Because of him, almost every dragon died. If I don't find Dauf...let's just pray I find Dauf."

"And Dauf is the other dragon, right? The one who hates Alduin too?"

"He doesn't hate Alduin. I convinced him to come here. He was among the greatest fighters I knew, and a new generation of dragons needs a strong father."

"So...he might actually try to kill people?"

"I hope not. But if he had been in the same situation you found me in, you wouldn't be alive now."

"I think I might have a chance," Elias said, putting a hand on his sword.

"Dauf beat Alduin in a duel once," she replied without glancing back. "But that was a long, long time ago. Before the war. Before all of...this."

"Why do you get so dramatic when you think about it? I mean, sure, everything's unfamiliar, but –"

"That's not even close to the whole story. I left my family. My friends. Everything and everyone I knew. And I _can't_ go back. I can _never_ go back. Not even an Elder Scroll can do that."

"What's an Elder Scroll?"

Ceilili gave a bitter laugh. "Good question. Ask a hundred people, you'll get a hundred different answers. All you need to know is that they're powerful. Really, really powerful. One sent us here from the second age."

"Wow. How old _are_ you, anyway?"

"You never ask a lady her age," she said, hopping off of the path.

"Wait, where are you going?" Elias asked.

"Out of sight. Now, Dragonsreach should have an area that can fit a dragon. If you convince the Jarl to trust me, even for a few days, I can hide there while you earn his trust more fully, or while he thinks it over."

"And how do I convince him to let a dragon into his hold?"

"You're resourceful; I'm sure you'll think of something."

* * *

Ceilili watched from a mountain peak, not as close to Whiterun as she would've liked, as the vague ant-sized dot that was Elias entered the town. Before she'd left, they had made a plan. If he was successful and the Jarl would let her into Dragonsreach, then he would come up with some sort of signal. If not, then he would return and head directly for where she was now.

Then, her thoughts turned to the past that she'd been thrown out of. Allegedly, an entire age had passed. She didn't know much besides that, though. Alduin must have lost, since the dragons had all died. But if that was the case, what was he doing here? Had something happened to send him into the same portal as her and Dauf? And if he did enter a portal, who sent him? And where did they get the Elder Scroll to do so? Too many questions flew through her mind, none of them answerable by her current knowledge. She looked toward Whiterun again and vowed to herself that if she met Alduin, he would talk before he died.

She watched the town's wooden gates open and close again, and laid her head down. Even if he wasn't successful, she would have to find Dauf. Alduin would be too tough to attack by herself anyway, but with both Dauf and Elias...maybe they would actually have a chance.

* * *

Okay, in case you didn't read the edit in the last chapter, I know that I've messed up a few things about the Elder Scrolls universe. But I have figured out an explanation, even if it's a poor one. Sorry about the relatively long gap between uploads, but my other story has been taking up most of my time. (That's a lie; I should be able to do a chapter per hour for this story)

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, but I hope even more that you saw an error, and can correct me.

Hmm...what am I forgetting...? Oh, well. It'll come to me.


	5. Chapter 4: Dragons in Whiterun

I can't help but to feel like I'm forgetting something...well, anyway, I hope you enjoy reading it. I don't know how long it'll take me to finish the next part. My other story is, as usual, taking more of my time. Since this one could end up being very long, I'm not sure how long I'll go.

* * *

The great wooden doors of Whiterun slammed shut behind Elias, who was grumbling as he entered the town. The guards had given him some trouble, but at the magic word – "dragons" – they let him in without hesitation. He passed a pair of people arguing about weapons, but ignored them and continued up the stairs to his left. After making his way between a number of houses, and picking the useful flowers off of some lavender plants, he came to a great tree, which looked either dead or nearly so. A little manmade river ran around the tree, with small bridges crossing the river in four places.

"It's a shame, isn't it?" a woman asked, sitting on a bench under the tree. Elias ignored her, and continued up the nearby stairs, remembering what Alvor had said. Someone to his right was screaming about something, but he too went ignored. Finally in front of Dragonsreach, he continued to the front doors. They were larger than anyone would need to be able to get in, but Elias assumed that that was a perk of being a Jarl. Unchallenged by the guards nearby, he strode into the building with his head held high.

As he walked up the stairs to the throne, a dark elf, or Dunmer, as they liked to call themselves, approached with her weapon drawn.

"What is the meaning of this?" she challenged. "Jarl Balgruuf is not receiving visitors."

"I have news from Riverwood about the dragons," he said.

"That explains why the guards let you in," she said. He scoffed. _They didn't even make a move to stop me_, he thought. "Come," the woman continued, "the Jarl will want to speak with you personally."

His conversation with the Jarl of Whiterun went off without a hitch. In fact, the Jarl seemed glad that Elias had come. Proventus, his steward, and Irileth, the Dunmer woman from previously and also his housecarl, disagreed with each other about their course of action, but when they got to arguing, Balgruuf separated them with stern words and made up his mind without hesitation. He was so glad, apparently, that Elias was given some finely-wrought steel armor, which he decided to put on as soon as he was able.

Before Elias could get a word in edgewise, though, he was following the Jarl to find his court wizard. He'd been unable to get in a word about Ceilili, and since he wanted her as an ally, he made that a high priority. Fortunately, it wasn't a long walk to find the wizard, and their conversation after that didn't take long. The wizard, Farengar, seemed to be very interested in dragons. Elias wondered if he could use that to make the Jarl agree to let Ceilili in. Before he knew it, the wizard was telling him to leave, in search of a "dragonstone". But when he mentioned the location, Elias blanched.

"B-Bleak Falls Barrow?" he repeated. Farengar agreed. "That can't be a coincidence," he said under his breath. The Jarl said something and bought him back to the moment, and he tried to get his attention without seeming disrespectful.

"Jarl Balgruuf," he called, "I have one more thing to say."

"Of course; please, speak freely."

"I would like to ask a favor...and it will seem odd at first."

"What sort of favor?" Balgruuf asked suspiciously.

"I want you to offer protection and shelter for a dragon."

"What?!" he shouted. Farengar, who was still nearby, perked up and started listening. "A dragon just destroyed Helgen, and you want me to not only let one live, but make certain nobody attacks it?"

"She is not the same dragon who destroyed Helgen. She has actually proven her hatred for that dragon. She is trustworthy, and she has not yet harmed anyone, not even when attacked by bandits."

"So, what, I'm supposed to protect your _pet_ dragon? For how long?"

"Jarl Balgruuf," Farengar said, interrupting Elias. "I would very much like to meet this dragon. If she is as docile as he says..."

The Jarl looked down, with a look of mixed anger and confusion. After a few moments, he looked at Elias and said, "I simply cannot trust you or her yet. I'm sorry; I won't give her my protection."

"Then don't do that yet. If you let her bed down in your hold –"

"What?"

"The hold was built to hold a dragon," Farengar said. Balgruuf looked down once again.

"I don't know. You're sure that she won't harm anyone?"

"The only thing she's expressed anger toward is Alduin."

"Alduin?" Balgruuf and Farengar asked at the same time. Only the wizard seemed to have any idea what the name meant.

"Jarl Balgruuf, if Alduin has returned, we will want every ally we can get. And a dragon would be a considerable force."

The Jarl looked up again and made eye contact with Elias. "I want your word that she won't so much as dent my men's armor. If she harms a single person, you'll be the one to put her down."

"You have my word. She is trustworthy."

Balgruuf sighed. "I can't help but thinking that this is a terrible idea...but fine. Come with me; I'll show you where she can come in."

"Oh, this is so exciting," Farengar said as he followed too. "A dragon, in the palace."

"What?!" Irileth shouted, overhearing him. "My Jarl, I urge you to reconsider..."

"Peace, Irileth. Elias has promised that the dragon won't harm anyone."

"And you're taking the word of a foreigner?" she asked, looking him over.

"Well, I would much rather that the dragon sleeps where I can keep an eye on it."

* * *

Ceilili kept her eyes on the palace on the hilltop. The doors to the town had opened and shut repeatedly, but Elias hadn't appeared, so she let herself hope that he had been successful. But no sort of signal came from the castle yet, so she was stuck. She let herself wonder what it would be like, flying into the palace. Of course, the poor townspeople below would be terrified, but since she wouldn't dare harm anyone, maybe they would accept her.

She let herself meditate on that thought for a while. A calm conversation with a merchant. Children climbing all over her, playing some kind of game. Maybe flying the captain of the guard, to give him a better view of a battlefield. A strange sense of longing overcame her, and she once again began to hope that Elias would be successful. It was an odd feeling; she had thought that finding Dauf would be most important to her. Perhaps it would be, but at this point, she couldn't wait for the races of Tamriel to accept her, not as a monster, but as a living thing.

Something Dragonsreach caught her eye. A small white light was shooting up into the sky. She watched it go higher and higher, until it finally disappeared into the sun's light. A few seconds later, another light shot out, and she knew this time that they were coming from the palace. By the time a third one had fired into the air, she had already taken off and was flying toward the rear of the palace. As she flew, another was fired, but when she drew near, no more were firing. She hesitated, wondering if that was really the signal, but Elias emerged onto the great balcony, and beckoned her closer. Her keen eyes could see the townspeople panicking, rushing into their homes and businesses, and the guards arming themselves below, but when she alighted inside the palace, different looks greeted her.

Elias, now in a set of shiny steel armor, smiled and waved. A finely-dressed man, probably the Jarl, was looking on in awe and uncertainty. A dark elf woman was in front of the Jarl, sword drawn. And a robed man was walking toward her slowly, his jaw dropped.

"Hello, everyone," she said. The robed man looked like he was about to faint, and she let out a laugh. At the sound of her laughter, the Jarl's guard put her weapon away, but continued to look at her suspiciously. That was fine, as far as Ceilili was concerned. Sheathed weapons showed trust, which meant that she would be safe. _I have to find a way to thank Elias_, she thought as both he and the man in robes came even closer.


	6. Chapter 5: A Quest

Wo-ho-ho-hoah! Way too long since my last update. But to be fair, the last update got a less-than-stellar reception. A-anyway, I'm not sure how much longer I can continue this story. Good, maybe (depends on your opinion). Short, definitely not. I've got a whole storyline of ideas that stretches as long as the main storyline in the game. And actually, I have ideas for a sequel. But I am way too complacent to finish those ideas.

* * *

"Ceilili," Elias said, gesturing to the Jarl, "this is Jarl Balgruuf. I'm sure you've heard of him."

"Well met, dragon," he said. Ceilili bowed her head.

"This is Irileth," Elias continued, gesturing to the dark elf. She merely squinted and nodded, but Ceilili bowed her head as she had to the Jarl.

"And the court wizard is Farengar," he said, looking around for him. Ceilili saw him, passing his hand over the scales on her side in awe. A few of the guards in the room even began to come nearer upon realizing that she wouldn't threaten them.

"Fascinating..." Farengar muttered. Ceilili began to feel uncomfortable under his scrutiny, but forced herself to remain still.

"I was told I can trust you," Balgruuf said. She nodded. "Good. Then Elias, it's time for you –"

Suddenly, the doors were forced open and a number of guards rushed in, weapons drawn. The captain of the guard was among the first to rush in, charging Ceilili with his sword drawn. Startled, she took off, careful not to hurt any guards or Farengar, and landed on the edge of the open ceiling. Only her head was visible, and when they pulled out bows, she drew back, so that they couldn't try to hurt her.

Balgruuf, now upset at his own men, managed to restore order before long. Questions flew back and forth between the Jarl and the captain, but the guards of Whiterun were hesitant to put away their weapons when their Jarl was so obviously in danger. They eventually listened to the Jarl's orders, and when all weapons were sheathed, Ceilili glided back to the floor, once again making sure not to harm anyone. The Jarl personally introduced her to the captain of the guard, and made those present aware that she wasn't to be harmed.

As they all began to file out of the balcony, Balgruuf turned to Elias again. "As I was saying, it's time for you to do what Farengar told you to. Even with a dragon on our side, we must know everything we can about them. Farengar, I want you to question this dragon. That is," he said, looking at Ceilili, "if that's alright with you."

"I have three goals: show my loyalty, defeat Alduin, and find Dauf. If it will help any of those three, then I'll do it," she said.

"Dauf?" the Jarl asked.

"Another dragon," Elias explained. Balgruuf nodded.

"Then you will help. Good...good," he said idly. He turned to the captain. "I want you to keep Ceilili safe."

"What? Me?"

"Yes, you. Until I know for sure whether she and Elias are trustworthy, I don't want her harmed."

"And if she tries to attack?" he asked. He seemed to share the look of suspicion with Irileth.

"Then you know what to do. But unless that happens, she may be our greatest ally."

"Elias," Ceilili said, "need a lift?"

"I'll take it," he said with a smile.

"Wait, you're leaving?" Farengar asked as Elias climbed onto the dragon's back.

"I'll be right back," she said. "Besides, I'm hungry. I think it's been a few hundred years since I ate last."

"W-what do you eat?" Farengar asked, swallowing hard and backing away.

"Relax, wizard. She wouldn't hurt a human, no matter what," Elias said.

"Of course not. I'll just find some wild deer. Or maybe I'll see if I can't bargain with a giant. Giants do still roam Skyrim, right?"

"Of course, but they're not friendly," Farengar said.

"We'll just see about that," she said, taking off. Farengar stumbled back in the gust of wind, but rushed to the edge of the balcony to watch her fly away.

* * *

Elias hopped off of Ceilili's back and landed on a thin layer of soft snow. Looking forward toward Bleak Falls Barrow, he drew his sword and took a step toward the building.

"Be careful," Ceilili warned him.

"Of course," he said, flashing a smile at her. She slowly turned and walked away, careful not to take off until she was sure nobody would see her. "How hard could this be?" he asked himself as he followed the small path to the barrow. After walking up a half-set of stairs, he noticed a bandit scouting the area ahead, and dropped to a crouch. The bandit looked around, and then walked behind a pillar to Elias' right. Elias walked to the edge of the stairs and peered over the wall. "What're they doing here?" he asked himself.

"Hey!" someone shouted from behind him.

"What now?" Elias asked, turning around. Before he could find the speaker, an arrow glanced off of the steel plate on his shoulder. Without hesitation, Elias rushed forward, zigzagging back and forth to make a difficult target. The man hurried to knock another arrow, but the next shot was hurried, and stuck an arrow in the ground behind Elias. The bandit didn't get a third chance.

By now, the other bandit was alerted to his presence, and Elias took the bow from the dead man's hand and knocked an arrow from his quiver. The bandit tried to dodge back and forth like Elias had, but Elias stayed calm and tried to time his steps. Once he loosed the arrow, it pierced the bandit's chest, and knocked him flat.

"I like this bow," Elias said, holding his new weapon in the air.

"You picked a bad time to get lost, friend," a third bandit said, drawing a warhammer. Elias drew another arrow from the man at his feet's quiver and knocked it, firing an arrow into the third bandit's leg. He cried out in pain and stumbled down the stairs, dropping his weapon in the process. Seconds later, another arrow shot into him, stifling his cries. He fell forward, and Elias collected what arrows he could before continuing. He made his way up the stairs and opened the enormous doors at the top of them, entering as quietly as he could, in case more bandits waited.

Once he closed the door behind himself, Elias turned and took in the room he was standing in. A high ceiling sported several holes that let sunlight in. The walls were just about as damaged as the ceiling, and enormous stone pillars held up what was left of the ceiling. A few lit candles lit the room dimly. But Elias wasn't concerned with the walls or the roof. His eyebrows scrunched together in bewilderment as he saw the floor of the huge room he'd entered. Or, more accurately, what covered the floor.

All over the floor, dead bodies were strewn. Most of the bodies belonged to skeevers, giant rat-like creatures, but a few bandits were lying on the floor, cold and still.

"Looks like there was a battle," he said to himself. Now that he wasn't as surprised by the bodies, he noticed the smell; the stench of rotting flesh permeated the air, but it wasn't very strong. Elias forced himself to ignore it as he set about looting the bodies of those nearby. The skeevers' tails, he'd been told, would make good alchemical ingredients, and even the few coins he found on the bandits might prove worthwhile. He was distracted before long, though, by voices up ahead. He stopped what he was doing and approached in a crouch. More bandits waited near the tunnel that led deeper into the barrow. Elias shook his head and drew his sword. "Nothing's that easy, is it?" he said under his breath before charging forward.


	7. Chapter 6: A Dangerous Tomb

This chapter, as well as the next one, will be Elias' adventure through Bleak Falls Barrow. If you don't care, you can skip 6 & 7, because Ceilili returns in chapter 8.

* * *

Elias sheathed his sword and looked around. Both bandits had been easy to take care of, but one of them had gotten him with a lucky hit on his leg. He bent down and focused what little power he could into the only healing spell he knew, closing up the wound neatly. Had he not been wearing the armor the Jarl had given him, the weapon could have caused much more damage. As he rose once more, though, he noticed a wooden chest nearby. He went to it and gripped the lid, but it didn't budge when he lifted it.

"Locked," he said under his breath. In frustration, he punched the front of the chest, but it did nothing but leave a stinging pain in his hand. It's true he had lockpicks, but they just seemed...weak. He faced his problems head-on; he wasn't some kind of street thief. He drew his sword and gripped it with both hands, taking a deep breath. A loud crash rang out a moment later as he hit the top of the chest with all the force he could muster, but his attempt barely scratched it. He stood up, glaring at the chest, and kicked it, sending a shock up to his knee. After hopping around for a bit, he limped down the stairway, deliberately forgetting the small chest.

After following quite a few winding turns, during which he found and looted several urns filled with coins, he came to another staircase. This one, though, led into a much larger room. When he saw that someone else was inside, Elias lowered himself into a crouch. The man didn't say anything, striding confidently to the center of the room, where a lever rested. He pulled the lever, and not a second later was shot by a poison dart from somewhere above him. Before he could react, a dozen more darts hit him, and he was dead before he hit the ground. Elias let out a low whistle.

"Don't really want to get hit by that," he said as he entered the room. In the front of the room, a large metal symbol rested on the ground, the wall having collapsed. Above it, two more symbols still hung on the wall. And under the wall, a heavy iron gate barred his path. "Great. So, how do I open the door?" he asked no one in particular. While there was a slight chance that merely pulling the lever once more would work, he didn't want to be riddled full of holes, so he decided not to take the chance. He did notice three three-sided obelisks to his left, with symbols that matched the ones on the wall above him, but he ignored those for the moment. Instead, he walked up the stairs to his right, looking for some other mechanism.

After about a half hour of intense searching, he gave up and sat on the stairs. All he had determined was that the lever was definitely the mechanism that opened the door. A similar lever sat on the other side of it, but the gaps between the bars were much too small for him to reach through. So he stood and walked to the obelisks, wondering what they could be about. He decided to search for a button or switch behind the leftmost one, but when he put weight on it to lean around it, he felt something like a static shock. With a surprised yelp, he hopped backward, just as the obelisk spun so that a different symbol faced forward.

"Oh," he said as an idea occurred to him. He looked at the runes on the wall, and remembered that it looked like the one on the left had fallen. Once he placed it back beside the others in his mind, he memorized their order and turned back to the obelisks. He put his hand on the first, and the same static feeling before shocked his hand as the stone spun. He continued to turn it until it matched the slab of metal that rested on the floor. After turning the other two to match the pair on the ceiling, he approached the lever in the center of the room once more.

"I sure hope this works," he said, grabbing the top of it. He pulled it back and dove toward the entrance to the room, hoping to dodge the darts if they fired. But instead of being killed, Elias saw the heavy iron gate slide up into the wall. He picked himself up off of the floor and entered the next room cautiously.

To his left was a spiral stairway that descended deeper into the Barrow. But in front of him sat a chest, along with a book and a potion. He immediately pocketed the book and potion without opening either, and pried the chest's unlocked lid up to reveal a few coins and another potion, all of which he took. "The dead won't need them," he told himself. As he rose, he heard scratching on the stairway, and skeever's calls from below. He drew his sword as the first one appeared and immediately attacked. But it didn't get very far before it was impaled. Immediately, a second rat dove toward him, and Elias hurried to block its sharp teeth. He kicked it backwards, and another skeever joined it.

Both dove forward at the same time, and Elias swung his sword horizontally. It connected, but as he followed through, he felt a sharp pain on his right arm. He let go of his cumbersome sword for a moment and planted a small dagger right between the eyes of the skeever that had latched onto his arm. It twitched once and laid still, its jaw going slack.

"Annoying things," he commented as he sheathed both his dagger and his sword. After healing his arm with one of the few spells he knew, he took what few materials he could from the bodies of the skeevers and descended the staircase. Not even halfway down, though, he was suddenly hit with the stench of the dead, much stronger than it had been previously. It was hard to ignore, but he forced himself to as he continued. At the bottom, he snagged a scroll and another potion before continuing.

"Hello? Is anybody there?" someone called from ahead. Elias almost considered sneaking forward, but when he realized that a bandit wouldn't give himself away so easily, he continued boldly. He soon came across a doorway that had completely blocked off by spider webs. He drew his sword and hacked through the webs, glad that they were old and dry, and stumbled through the doorway, taking in his new surroundings.

Everything in the room was covered in webs. He could see a few human-sized bundles of web, as well as some skeever-sized ones, but he didn't bother with them; by now, they were beyond help. In the room's exit doorway, a man hung suspended in web, very clearly alive, judging by his shouting. Elias let him hang for a little bit, emptying the room's urns of every coin he could find, before he approached him.

"Here it comes!" the man shouted, looking up. "Look out!"

Elias did, and he saw an enormous spider falling toward him. He dove away just before the spider would have landed on him, and he drew his greatsword as he rose again.

"What's next?" he asked, "Snakes?"


	8. Chapter 7: Everything But Snakes

Bam! After under a day, here's chapter 7. Truth be told, I had it done at the same time as chapter 6, but I figured waiting was in order, since it could easily be a week until I update again. I'm just that annoying.

* * *

Elias sat down with a huff in a well-lit room, once he was sure no more undead would find him. It had been a long time since he'd battled the giant spider and freed the backstabbing dunmer, but when the man had tried to outrun Elias, he'd stepped on a hidden trap which threw him across the room after filling him with holes. Immediately after that, the dead began to rise and attack Elias, but they were slow and uncoordinated, so none of them had posed a challenge. To his surprise, Elias found the golden claw that Lucan had been looking for on the body of the dark elf, along with a journal of some sort. After dodging a number of traps and undead, Elias had found this room.

It could almost be called a tunnel, due to its shape. Along the walls were a number of carvings which, while they were interesting to look at, Elias couldn't decipher them. Straight ahead sat a circular slab of stone that seemed to be some kind of control mechanism for something, perhaps itself. Before messing with it at all, though, Elias had decided to stop and rest for a moment. He didn't know how much farther he would have to go, but he knew that he'd want to do it full of energy. Even so, eating immediately before a fight was a bad idea, so he contented himself to just rest for a moment.

A few minutes later, he stood and approached the front of the room. Three circular slabs of stone sat in the door, each with a symbol on it. At the center of the three circles, a button sat, with four holes in it. He knew from the engraving on the center that the golden claw would fit it well, but he didn't want to be too hasty. Instead of touching it, he pulled out the dead dunmer's notebook and flipped through it.

"Oh," he said after finding what he was looking for. He pulled out the golden claw and inspected the underside more closely, and found a set of three symbols. He looked again at the wall, and then the claw, and put his hand on the topmost symbol on the wall. With a slight push, it slid in, then popped out and began to spin. Like he'd done in the earlier room, he made the wall's symbols match those on the claw, and stood back, double-checking his work.

"Let's see if this works," he said, placing the claw in the slot in the center. Nothing happened. "Hmm," he said, scrunching his eyebrows. He pressed harder, and the button in the center of the door slid in. He tried twisting it right, without success, and then managed to turn it to the left a little bit before it stopped turning. He brought it back right, and nearly lost his grip on it when it jumped back to the center and continued spinning. Immediately, he heard a loud click, and the three stone circles aligned to the same symbol. Elias pulled the claw out of the door and put it away, and watched as it slid slowly downwards.

Before it reached the ground, he felt a blast of fresh air hit him, and he inhaled deeply. He strode over it as it continued downward, and walked through the cave-like area he'd just revealed. Before he took ten steps, a swarm of bats dove out of the ceiling and flew away, a few of the hitting him in the head. He flinched, but once they were gone, he brushed himself off and continued. Ahead, he saw a stone platform with a high wall, and a coffin on the front. It looked almost like a spotlight was focused on the platform. He ignored the second swarm of bats that flew out of the cave and walked up a set of stairs to stand on the platform. Once there, he could've sworn that he could hear chanting, and when he focused on the noise, it didn't disappear. He couldn't tell what they were saying, but he thought the noise was coming from the wall, so he turned toward it.

He immediately blinked hard and rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing things right. The wall was covered in strange symbols, as if something had been written there, but one of the words was glowing. He approached it slowly and put his hand on it, wondering what was going on. The word grew brighter gradually, until it suddenly flashed, burning an image in his mind. His vision blurred and he fell to his knees, his mind forcibly memorizing the strange symbols. He heard the coffin nearby pop open, and he drew his sword, but his vision was still clouded.

"Great," he said to himself as a dark shape crawled out of the coffin. He stood and tried to brace himself, but the word had made him dizzy for some reason. He hoped it would leave him alone, but he knew that it wouldn't. It leaned back and a mangled word escaped its throat, but Elias couldn't make it out. A moment later, two more garbled words followed, and Elias was blown against the wall.

"What was that?" he asked in surprise as his vision continued to clear. He felt a blast of frigid air hitting him in the chest, and lunged forward, swinging his sword. He connected, and the blast of cold stopped, but a hand axe came down hard on the side of his helmet, cutting his face. He spun away from his enemy and hit it with a jet of magic fire from his left hand, but it didn't even seem affected. The axe came again, and Elias barely brought up his sword in time to block it. Another hit immediately followed, and he blocked that one too, before ramming his hilt into the creature's face. It stumbled back, and Elias took his chance, swinging with all his might for its neck. The sword connected again, and he heard two thuds; one small, and then a larger one. Elias sheathed his sword and spat out the blood that had flowed into his mouth, before trying to heal himself with a spell. When it didn't work, he took out a potion instead and downed it in one swig.

"Okay, now about this 'dragonstone'," he said, approaching a large chest that he'd previously missed. Sifting through it, he found a number of things that he figured would be useful, but not anything that could be the dragonstone. With another glance at the body he'd recently re-slain, he decided to search it. After only a few seconds of searching, he found a heavy slab of stone, which he decided must be his goal. After checking once more to make sure he had taken everything valuable, he found a set of stairs nearby and followed them upwards, hoping to be taken back to the surface rather than deeper into the mountain.


	9. Chapter 8: More Dragons

Well, I can't tell whether this is early or late. Since I finished it in under an hour, I'm going to guess it's somewhere along the middle line there.

Oh, and I realize how close this story is to the storyline of Skyrim. But I guess that's just how it's happening in my mind. It's okay; the story's sure to change when Ceilili finally encounters a few key people (Delphine, Paarthurnax, Alduin). In the meantime, I'll try to keep the story focused on Ceilili, rather than Elias, so that it isn't just a copy of Skyrim's story, which I don't remember all that well anyway.

* * *

Ceilili crept forward, keeping as low as she could. Her narrowed eyes were locked onto an unwary deer that was bending down to eat from a small plant. It raised its head, and she stopped moving. While it was hard to hide a dragon, she'd chosen this location to look for prey for just that purpose. After looking around and sniffing the air, the deer continued to eat, and Ceilili crept toward it once more.

She didn't need to hunt like this. She didn't need to hide. She could outpace the deer with her wings and take it out from a distance with her fiery breath, but there was just something about the hunt that she hadn't experienced in too long. She took another step forward, now in range to pounce, and heard a twig snap. She froze.

The deer looked up abruptly and took a few uncertain steps away. Ceilili knew that this would be her last chance to get the thrill of a successful hunt, so she pounced. The deer began to run away just before it would've been too late, startled by a heavily armored man dropping to the ground nearby. Ceilili landed on the ground and watched the deer go, gouging a chunk of dirt from the ground in frustration.

"Thanks a lot," she said, looking at the man. He took off his helmet, and she saw Elias looking back at her.

"How did you know where I'd be coming out?" he asked.

"I didn't. I was _trying_ to hunt."

"Why?" he asked, climbing up her side. "I mean, couldn't you just kill an entire herd without a problem?"

"Yes," she admitted, "and I already did. But I got bored waiting and decided to have some fun. Then someone comes along and ruins it."

"Well, I'm sorry you weren't successful," he said.

She bristled. "It's _your_ fault!"

He ignored her. "But I _was_ successful. I got the dragonstone."

"Good for you," she said without a hint of enthusiasm. She took off and turned toward Whiterun again, still brooding about her failed hunt.

* * *

"Good, the dragonstone of Bleak Falls Barrow!" Farengar exclaimed, holding it proudly in his hands. Elias couldn't wait for a chance to sell his junk, but Ceilili had taken him directly to Dragonsreach, and Farengar hadn't let him pass before giving him the stone.

"So, what now?" Elias asked. It was late in the afternoon, and he was looking forward to a warm bed in the nearest inn.

"That is where your work ends, and mine begins. The work of the mind, sadly undervalued in Skyrim. I'll give this to my associate, and we can begin work right a-"

"Farengar!" Irileth shouted, throwing the doors to the porch open. Without exiting the building, she added, "You must come at once. A dragon has been sighted nearby."

Ceilili perked up. "A dragon? Where?"

Irileth looked askance at the dragon, but didn't answer her question. She looked at Elias and said, "You should come, too."

"Two dragons in one day," Farengar said excitedly, following Irileth through the doors. "How exciting."

"I would take this more seriously, if I were you," Irileth said. "If a dragon decides to attack the hold, I'm not sure we can stop it."

The doors closed, and Elias and Ceilili were still on the balcony.

"What do you think we should do?" she asked.

"What do you mean, 'we'? I thought you were going to look for your friend."

"Not yet. Even if this dragon isn't Dauf, he or she might know more than I do."

"And you're letting me choose because...?"

"I'm letting you choose because the humans trust you more than they trust me."

"Oh. Right," he said, going through the doors. Ceilili followed him with only her head, and had to be careful not to knock over the Jarl, who was standing right by the doors. The group of people there must have already been talking for a while, because as soon as she showed up, one of them ran down the stairs nearby. The Jarl turned to Irileth, and told her to assemble some guardsmen and go to a nearby watchtower.

"Hold on," she said, interrupting him, "you're going to kill it?"

"If we must," the Jarl said soberly. Ceilili hesitated, but then closed her eyes and nodded. If the dragon was being led by Alduin, he wouldn't be her ally. He continued, but she wasn't fully listening.

She didn't want a fellow dragon to be killed; she had actually come to this time just to do save them. But Alduin was a tyrant, and anything or anyone loyal to him endangered the future of the dragons. Even so, she didn't want to fight directly – not yet, at least. Killing in general made her more than a little skittish, but she recognized the need to kill for sustenance. But as far as killing for war, that was even worse than killing for mere sport, in her eyes. At least in an arena, the casualties could be limited to under a few hundred. There was no such promise in wartime.

Ceilili was brought back to the moment when Elias turned to her, and she realized he had asked a question.

"I'm sorry, what?" she asked.

"I was hoping you'd be willing to take me to the watchtower. I mean, I can walk just fine, but –"

"No, I'll take you," she said. "I was just...distracted."

"Listen, dragon," the Jarl said. "I want to trust you, after what you've done to help me. But if you hurt a single one of my men..."

"I understand," she said. "And I don't intend to hurt anyone."

"Good. Make sure you don't."

Ceilili withdrew her head without another word, and readied herself for takeoff. Elias didn't emerge until a minute or so later, and she looked at him questioningly.

"I wanted to store a few of my things," he said. "At least, until I can retrieve them and sell them."

"Glad I don't have to worry about things like money," she said, taking off. She turned around and flew toward the watchtower that she assumed would be the right one. Since smoke was billowing out of the side of it, she didn't think she could go wrong there. When she drew near to the tower, the guardsmen who'd been stationed at the watchtower began to panic and drew their weapons. Thankfully, Irileth came to her rescue and calmed them down just before they began to fire at her. She landed in front of the ruined building, and Elias dismounted.

"The dragon's a friend?" one of the guards asked.

"Yes, she is," Irileth confirmed.

"Well, maybe we'll –" the man began, but he was cut off by an ally's shout.

"There it is! It's coming back!"

* * *

Hey! Now that you're at the end, you should leave a review below. Or, better yet, check a few of the boxes below that; the more I see that people like the story, the more I write.

Oh, and if you leave a good enough idea for the story, I may use it, and if I do, you'll get the credit. I guess that's not really a tantalizing offer, but hey, it's there.


	10. Chapters 9 & 10: Nightmares and Dreams

Hello, all! Sorry about my disappearance there, I was really into my Star Fox fanfic, but I'll make it up to you; 2500 words of dragons, and a new character that I so didn't just make up in under five minutes. So, read, and please do review. And if you've got the time and you're into that sort of thing, check out my other story. It's more than three times this one's length, and I started it less than 2 weeks ago.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Elder Scrolls, or anything associated. If I did...that'd be pretty cool. But I don't.

* * *

Chapter 9

"No, wait, please," Ceilili shouted when everyone drew their weapons.

"Don't get in our way," Irileth warned her.

"I won't, just please, give me a chance to talk to it."

"You're free to do whatever you will," Irileth replied. "But when it attacks, we will retaliate."

Ceilili didn't waste any more time talking before she took off and flew right toward the other dragon. It slowed down and began to hover, so she did the same.

"Who dares block my path?" the dragon challenged in its language.

"Who sent you," she asked. She wondered whether she knew him, but his name didn't come to mind.

"I am Mirmulnir, raised by Alduin," he roared, "and I will finish off these humans."

"Why do you fight them?" she asked. "They are strong. Stronger than you."

"I will not question Alduin. Under him, we shall rule all of Tamriel."

"You are a fool!" she shouted. His words were the same as others under Alduin, before she'd travelled through time. "Alduin doesn't want to rule Tamriel, he will destroy it!"

"You lie," he said. "Now stand down or die."

She shook her head and turned around, flying back to Elias. She wanted to stay out of the battle, so as she passed Elias, she said, "Kill him," before flying a safe distance away. She had to force herself to say the words, but she didn't want him to hesitate. And he didn't.

She watched him pull out a wooden longbow and start firing arrows at it. Irileth and all of her guards were doing the same, but they weren't ordered at all. Everyone was just trying to hit the dragon with their arrows without being stomped, grabbed, or lit on fire. But Mirmulnir wasn't an idiot, and he was trying to stay out of range of their arrows while taking them out one by one. At that rate, they'd be killed before doing any serious damage.

Fortunately, Irileth noticed, too, and she managed to restore some order. Elias was still pretty much doing his own thing, which at the moment included getting to the top floor of the tower, but the guardsmen were now trying to stay more-or-less together, close enough to fend off the dragon if it attacked, but far enough from one another that one gout of fire wouldn't kill all of them.

Ceilili saw Mirmulnir lock onto Irileth with his eyes after coming out of an attack. He recognized that she was organizing the guards, and Ceilili knew that he had targeted her. Without hesitating, Ceilili shot off of the ground, making a beeline right for Mirmulnir. He dove in for the attack, but Ceilili blindsided him, knocking him out of the air. The two dragons tumbled to the ground, both too stunned to attack the other.

"What are you doing?" Mirmulnir asked angrily, trying to gain his footing. He was clearly injured, judging by all the arrows stuck in his torso, legs and wings.

"I can't let you harm them," she said, lifting her head.

"Then you will die with them," he roared, before lunching forward. Ceilili flinched, but before Mirmulnir could finish his attack, he threw his head up and roared in pain. After lowering his head, he turned to look at the top of the tower. There was Elias, with an arrow knocked and drawn back.

"Dovahkiin! No!" Mirmulnir shouted when Elias let the bowstring go. The arrow pierced the dragon's eye, and his death was quick.

_Dovahkiin?_ Ceilili wondered. She shook her head quickly. If the dragonborn was in Tamriel, she was pretty sure she'd know it. Tales had been told of the so-called Last Dragonborn from before she even travelled through time. And Elias didn't fit the bill. He was on the verge of incompetence, and he wasn't really all that tough, either. Even Irileth didn't fit. She at least made more sense than Elias, but that wasn't really saying much.

"We did it," someone said from nearby. Ceilili nodded sadly. She saw Elias come out of the tower and approach the body, and something near the body caught her eye.

A glowing dragon scale was rising from Mirmulnir's body. She watched it questioningly, until another scale lifted, and then another.

"Get back," Irileth warned as more and more scales rose. She heard the sound of a campfire burning, and before long, it actually looked like his body had caught fire. A moment later, and the fire leapt toward Elias. It continued to flow into him until nothing was left of Mirmulnir but a skeleton, and Elias looked like he was glowing.

_It can't be_, she thought.

"You're Dragonborn!" someone nearby shouted at Elias. He had no idea what was going on. The guard suggested he Shout, since only the Dragonborn can do so without special training. Ceilili stood and approached him, wondering if he could do it.

"Fus!" he shouted, sending a shockwave at the already ruined tower.

"Dragonborn!" someone else shouted in surprise.

"Elias," Ceilili whispered, before taking off and flying away.

She didn't know why she was so upset. Mirmulnir had challenged her, and he would have died either way. But somehow, watching Elias absorb his soul brought a stunning sense of finality to it. Mirmulnir was dead. Nothing on Tamriel, not even Alduin, could undo that now. No spell could bring him to life again, and no Thu'um could make him take the skies once more. And no matter how much he'd threatened her, Mirmulnir was a dragon, too. Everything she'd done, she had done for the dragon race. She shook her head and continued to fly, turning away from Whiterun.

What's more, Elias was the dragonborn. He would need training, among other things. And – Ceilili realized something else, and her heart skipped a beat. Elias could kill Alduin. True, he was called eternal, but so were all dragons, and Elias had just finished off Mirmulnir. She turned around, hoping she'd actually made headway on her quest. Then she heard it.

"_Dovahkiin!_" someone – or, rather, a group of people – shouted. The air reverberated like a shockwave, and Ceilili was almost forced to the ground. _What was that?_ she wondered before alighting inside of Dragonsreach again. Not many humans knew about Shouts, and that had definitely been one. She shrugged. Elias would probably know. And she couldn't wait to talk with him again.

* * *

Well, shoot. My bad. Turns out I had two chapters that I hadn't uploaded. So, here you go, lucky humans.

* * *

Chapter 10

Ceilili walked toward the great doors that led to Dragonsreach with a few questions on her mind. _How is Elias the dragonborn? Did he really just find out? If so, how did he figure out how to absorb dragon souls? If not, why hasn't he told me before now?_

She nudged the doors with her snout, and a nearby guard reluctantly opened it for her. She snaked her head through, but unlike before, nobody was in the first room. She tried to explore more, but her shoulders hit the doorway, and the wood creaked in protest. She took a step back and rested her head on the ground, content to just listen.

She couldn't catch much, but she knew that the Jarl was arguing with someone. The mystery person was definitely a man, but it wasn't Proventus, so she didn't know who it was. After about a minute, the doors at the front of Dragonsreach opened, and the Jarl greeted Elias. Elias told the short story of what they'd found at the watchtower, and what he'd discovered, and Ceilili strained to hear the Jarl's reaction.

A guard nearby chose that moment to launch into a conversation with a comrade about how he'd once been an adventurer. Ceilili wouldn't even have cared had he been telling the truth, but he was clearly exaggerating. She still tried to listen to Elias, but what little she'd heard before was drowned out by the self-important man. She pulled her head out of the building and stared at him angrily.

"...so I'm fighting..._six_ bandits at once...with one arm behind my back, and _still_ gaining ground. But I noticed an archer nearby a moment too late, and –"

"Do you mind?!" Ceilili roared. The guard shrunk back in fear, and hurried away to continue his rounds. Ceilili rolled her eyes and put her head back into the building. She faintly heard the mystery person telling Elias something.

"...voice of the Greybeards, summoning...High Hrothgar..."

_What? Greybeards? Engir was one of those! They're still alive?_

"Hello?!" she called, shaking some dust from the ceiling. All of the voices in the throne room stopped, and a moment later she heard footsteps coming toward her.

"Ceilili!" Elias shouted, surprised. "Where...why'd you leave me back there?"

"I'm sorry," she said. "I was surprised, is all. I didn't know you were the dragonborn, so I panicked."

"Do you believe it now, Proventus?" the mystery man asked.

"Then it's true. Dragonborn..." Balgruuf said, turning to Elias, "You must go to their monastery in the mountains. There is no refusing the summons of the Greybeards. It is a tremendous honor. I envy you, you know? To climb the seven thousand steps again...I made the pilgrimage once; did you know that?"

"Seven thousand steps?" Elias asked in disbelief.

"It'll be fine," Ceilili said with a wink.

"No matter," Balgruuf continued, ignoring the others. "Go to High Hrothgar. Learn what the Greybeard will teach you."

"Well, let's go," Ceilili said, backing her head out of the building.

"Hold on, Ceilili," he said. She stopped and looked at him. "I've got some errands to run in town first. And it's getting late."

"Oh," she said. "Alright. I'll see you in the morning, right?"

"Of course. Like I'd leave without you?" he asked. She smiled and nodded, before pulling her head back out of the building.

* * *

A few minutes later, she was lying curled up on the edge of the balcony, staring at the stars. Even before she'd left her life behind, she had always enjoyed staring at the stars. The thousands of pinpoints of light slowly moving across the sky had a unique way of soothing and calming her, no matter how bad the day had been. And for whatever reason, whenever she looked at the night sky, a shrinking feeling came over her. It was as if the stars were trying to tell her how small she was compared to so many things.

Ceilili sighed deeply, but didn't stop watching the sky. After a few minutes, she saw a shooting star, and couldn't help a toothy smile. She didn't actually think that shooting stars had the ability to grant wishes, but she decided to close her eyes anyway. _Dauf_, she thought longingly. For all she knew, he was still in the portal, waiting to appear. But without him, all of their plans would be pointless. With her eyes shut, she wished with all her might that she would find Dauf before he hurt anyone. She didn't notice the second shooting star that appeared while she was concentrating.

Eventually, she opened her eyes and stared at the ground. _Wishes are for children_, she thought bitterly. If it was Dauf looking for her, he wouldn't be wishing on stars, asking the humans for help, or running from fights. Dauf would be diving in headfirst, and he probably would have found her by then. And Dauf probably would have known what to say to Mirmulnir. Had he been the first to appear, everything would have gone better.

_But_, a small voice in her head whispered, _Dauf wouldn't have made peace with the humans. And Dauf wouldn't have met the dragonborn. The only one who can do what you've been asked to do is _you.

Ceilili chuckled and nodded, glad at least that her own mind was trying to cheer her up. After a few seconds, she closed her eyes and laid her head down, ready to sleep. Finding Dauf would have to wait. In the morning, she was escorting the dragonborn to High Hrothgar. _Maybe they'll be able to tell me something_, she thought, before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

The sun seemed to rise slowly in the morning, its soft golden rays spreading across the land of Skyrim. Nocturnal creatures all over the country were scuttling home or looking for a place to roost, and the early risers were greeting the day with enthusiasm. Even the plants seemed to be getting ready for the new day, a slight breeze playing at their leaves. Ceilili, however, was not among those who rose early. Through her mind was flashing a nightmare, one that she had experienced on countless other nights.

She saw herself standing in a cave, nothing but a small circle of ground visible in the surrounding darkness. The grey stone floor was almost perfectly flat, with quite a few scratches in it from the claws of large creatures. Not a single sound or echo rang out in the cave, and Ceilili looked around nervously. The darkness outside of the circle she was standing on felt oppressive, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't see into it.

"Hello?" she asked. Her voice didn't even echo once, as though it had been absorbed by the darkness itself. The silence made her think that there were no walls past the darkness, that she was on a mountaintop or the like where any whisper or shout would be lost in the sky above, but she knew that wasn't the truth. She'd had this dream before, and she was certainly in a cave at this point. Even so, the darkness and silence was unnerving, and the fact that she knew something would attack her soon didn't help at all.

_Nothing should scare a dragon_, she thought, but a slithering noise behind her made her rethink the statement. She turned abruptly toward the noise, but whatever had made the noise was hidden in the darkness.

"Who's there?" she called. She felt her heart speed up, and took an uncertain step toward the darkness. "Show yourself," she said, trying to sound intimidating. But as she approached the darkness, she felt an unnatural fear overcome her. She hadn't taken three steps before it became too much, and she retreated, breathing heavily like she'd just escaped from something.

The rasping sound repeated itself to her right, and she whipped her head toward it before loosing a stream of fire in that direction. The fire shot out toward her invisible target, but as soon as it touched the curtain of darkness, it disappeared completely. Ceilili struggled to overcome her growing fear, knowing that the dream was almost over. _It'll be over soon_, she thought, _here it comes_.

Just like she knew would happen, a pair of glimmering eyes appeared in the darkness, staring directly at her. Just looking at them made her uneasy, but it was more than the darkness. The eyes belonged to the being behind the darkness, and any fear that it instilled in her, the eyes only multiplied.

"Ceilili..." a voice whispered slowly out of the darkness. She gasped, backing away a step. The creature in the darkness had never spoken before, and the way it said her name made her go cold.

"Who's there?" she asked again. Her voice wouldn't have scared a lost kitten.

"Ceilili..." the voice said again. The eyes moved a little closer, and Ceilili prepared herself for the dream to end. This wasn't its mind, this was her mind, and she was in control.

"Come on, I'm ready for you!" she shouted, feeling her strength return. The eyes reared back slowly, and Ceilili crouched. "I know who you are..." she began, before the eyes shot forward. The creature behind them emerged from the darkness quickly, diving straight toward her. "...Ald–" she said, before seeing whose face was staring back at her. "Dauf?!" she asked, sitting up straight in surprise. The creature slammed into her chest, knocking her back into the darkness, and she closed her eyes, expecting to open them to Skyrim's sun.

Instead, she felt her body hit a snow-covered ground. She tried to get back up, but her strength had somehow left her. She managed to raise her head and open her eyes, and saw him there.

_Alduin!_

He was walking slowly toward her, ignoring the blizzard that surrounded them both. She tried to get up again, but it felt like she'd just lost a fight against the very dragon that was approaching her. He regarded her arrogantly, as though she had already been defeated. Lightning struck behind him, painting his silhouette in her mind as her eyes fell shut from her sudden exhaustion. She managed to get them open again after a few seconds, and he was standing right in front of her, staring down at her with a sinister glare.

"You hoped to stop me?!" he roared. He lowered his head until it was inches from hers, and squinted at her. "You are weak." His head moved toward the base of her skull, and she began to panic. His jaw clenched around her vulnerable neck, sending a shiver of terror through her mind and body. "Goodbye, Queen of the Dragons," he mocked, before biting down and wrenching his head to the side.

"No!" she roared, sitting up abruptly. The sun above hurt her eyes as she tried to take in her surroundings. She was on the balcony of Dragonsreach. The sun was rising to the east. A few guards nearby were watching her warily. She managed to slow her breathing after realizing that it had only been a dream.

"So," a seemingly random guard said, leaning against the wall, "the dragons have a queen?" Her furry gray tail was swishing back and forth slowly.

"What?" Ceilili asked, hoping she hadn't overheard too much.

"I don't know," she admitted, standing and approaching her. "You were mumbling in your sleep, is all."

"Well –"

"M'Jiravi," the lady said, introducing herself. Ceilili nodded uncertainly.

"M'Jiravi...the dragons don't have a queen. They haven't for...a long time."

"I thought the dragons didn't have any kind of government," the khajiit said, tilting her head slightly.

"Alduin made sure of that," Ceilili replied. "And it's no surprise the races of Tamriel never knew. We tried to keep to ourselves."

"Just like how nobody knows that dragons _do_ lay eggs?" M'Jiravi asked. Ceilili stared at her in surprise.

"What makes you say that?"

"You. You really do talk a lot in your sleep. So, who's this 'Dauf' guy?"

"Why do you care?" Ceilili asked, raising her head to look at the khajiit from above.

"I'm just curious, is all," she said.

Ceilili didn't respond. The doors to the great balcony opened slightly, stealing her attention, and Elias emerged, clearly carrying less than he had been the night before. He approached her confidently, well-rested and ready to handle whatever the day could throw at him.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Hold on," M'Jiravi said before Ceilili could respond. "I wanted to talk with you."

"Can it wait a few days?" Elias asked. "I've got somewhere important to go."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about, actually. I want to help you."

"What?" Elias and Ceilili asked at the same time.

"Mmm hmm," she said, bobbing her head. "I never was good at adventuring, but I'm getting tired of this life. I want to make a name for myself, and see all of Skyrim, maybe all of Tamriel!"

"Now, hold on," Elias began, "are you any good in a fight? I mean, I'm all for getting new allies, but if you're just going to turn tail and run when danger shows up, I don't –"

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," she assured him. "I've fought bandits," she added, as though he should've been awed.

"I've fought draugr," he retorted, hoping that would end the conversation.

"D-draugr?" she asked nervously. She glanced around like he'd said that one was nearby. But after her moment of weakness, she shook her head and took a deep breath. "I'm not scared. I still want to come with you."

"But why?" Elias asked.

"You're the Last Dragonborn," she said. "They'll sing songs about you until the day your grandchildren die."

"I'm not so sure..." Elias said.

"Well, we could use someone to carry things and cook," Ceilili suggested. It was another ploy to discourage the khajiit.

"I could do that!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Now, hold on," Elias said, "you have a job here. You can't just up and leave."

"You're right," she said, walking toward Dragonsreach. "Wait there!" she called back.

Elias and Ceilili both watched her go, confused. "Where is she going?" Elias asked.

"To talk to the captain, I would guess," Ceilili said. She waited a few moments before turning to Elias. "We should go."

"No," he said after some thought. "I think a companion would be helpful."

"Isn't that why I'm here?"

"But you don't fight."

Ceilili sighed. "So we're waiting?"

"We're waiting."

* * *

Happy birthday! No, wait...dang it, that's not right. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. I may take another long time to update again; that other story really commands my attention. And I'm now working on Miles Tails McCloud on a cooperative project, so we'll see how that turns out.

Boy, that M'Jiravi is harder to dissuade than Amy Rose when she's chasing Sonic. Wait...wrong universe. Ah, well.


	11. Chapter 11: Acquainted

Disclaimer: I don't own any concepts, characters, or settings that can be found in Bethesda's game "Skyrim". That being said, Ceilili, Elias, Dauf, M'Jiravi, and all other OC's are mine, though I don't mind if they're used however readers see fit.

What? I'm back? And I'm a lazy bum, so this update isn't even that long? Ah, well. Maybe I can alternate between these two stories now, and keep this updated semi-regularly. For any readers interested in my life, tune in Sunday to BK Prose for an update in my life.

* * *

"I'm back," M'Jiravi called cheerfully as she exited Dragonsreach. She was still wearing the armor of a Whiterun guard, but she wasn't wearing a helmet anymore.

"Where were you?" Elias asked.

"I was talking with Commander Caius. He says that an armed escort for the Dragonborn wouldn't be a bad idea."

"So –" Ceilili began.

"He told me to help in any way I can."

"Then let's go," Elias said, climbing up Ceilili's side. M'Jiravi followed quickly, and Ceilili reluctantly took off toward the highest mountain she could see.

"So, was it really that easy?" Elias asked.

"It actually was," M'Jiravi said. "He surprised me. In fact, he was about to give someone else the job, when I volunteered."

"Why do you talk like that?" Ceilili asked. "I've met Khajiit, and they all talk in third person and call each other 'this one'."

"Oh. Well, I was raised by Nords here in Skyrim. I wasn't told what happened with my Khajiit parents, but I still like my Nord parents."

"That...actually explains quite a bit."

"So what are we going to do?" M'Jiravi asked.

"I'm going to the greybeards on High Hrothgar, to learn what I can," Elias said.

"Okay, but what will _we_ do?"

"I want to see if the greybeards can answer some of my questions," Ceilili said.

"So...we're not going to be fighting anything?"

"Not right now," Elias said.

"Oh, that's no fun."

"What did you think it'd be like?" Ceilili asked.

"Well, I expected action, adventure, and maybe some magic."

"Magic?" Ceilili asked. "You came with the wrong dragonborn. Elias knows, what, two spells?"

"Four," he said proudly. "I got a few spellbooks last night."

"And you've already studied them?" Ceilili asked uncertainly.

"Of course," he replied. "I'm the dragonborn."

"Can I see the books?" M'Jiravi asked.

"Uhh...no," Elias said, scratching his head with a guilty expression.

"Why not?"

"I got a little excited while I was reading, and I may have lit them on fire."

"'May have'?" Ceilili asked. "How do you do that by accident?"

"Well, I'm no wizard," Elias said.

"What spells do you know?" M'Jiravi asked.

"I could already use Flames and Healing, which is nothing special. But now, I can make a Lesser Ward, and shoot Ice Spikes out of my hands."

"Nothing special?" M'Jiravi asked. "Well, do you think you can teach me a few tricks?"

"Careful he doesn't light you on fire, too," Ceilili said.

"Okay, that was an honest mistake," Elias said.

"You were learning an ice spell and a shield spell. How do you light something on fire with those two?" she asked.

"It was one time..." Elias began as M'Jiravi began to laugh.

"There were two books!" Ceilili exclaimed. M'Jiravi only laughed harder. Ceilili shook her head, glad that the group's spirits were high, and looked forward again. After spying their destination, she turned her head slightly and called back, "There it is!"

"High Hrothgar," Elias said slowly. "The home of the Greybeards."

"At least we don't have to walk up those seven-thousand steps," M'Jiravi said.

"Well, I'm glad this is easy for _you_," Ceilili said. "But _I'm_ still working."

"But flying's easy for dragons, isn't it? A lot easier than hiking up a mountain."

"I don't know," Elias put in. "I never had any trouble with things like that. I jogged up the side of a mountain without breaking a sweat, once."

"Okay, not everyone has a dragonborn's endurance!" M'Jiravi exclaimed.

"You're a guard in a major hold," Elias said. "You have to be fit, don't you?"

"I didn't say I couldn't do it," she replied. "I'm just glad I don't have to."

"But _I_ do," Ceilili said. "And yes, flying is quite tiring, especially with two people on my back."

"Well, should we take a break?" Elias asked.

"We only just began," she replied. "And we're already almost there."

"Think you can make it?" Elias asked.

"I'm no child," she replied. "Of course I can."

With her words, the group fell silent. M'Jiravi quickly pulled out a cowl and put it on, protecting her sensitive ears from the harsh wind and snow. Elias, already bundled up as he could be, set a small magic flame in his hand and held it close. But fortunately, the flight didn't last much longer. It wasn't even a full minute before Ceilili alighted on the steps in front of the monastery, and her two riders disembarked.

"You should stay here," Elias told Ceilili.

"Of course," she agreed. "I couldn't come if I wanted to."

Elias nodded. "And you should, too," he said, turning toward where M'Jiravi had been moments before. She wasn't there, though. He looked around quickly and just caught sight of her tail as it disappeared into the monastery.

"Great," he sighed.

"I told you we shouldn't have waited for her," Ceilili told him.

"Well, she may still be useful," Elias said, slowly walking toward the enormous stone building. He climbed up the few steps and opened the heavy stone doors, entering quickly as soon as he realized that it was warmer inside. He shut the door behind himself and confronted M'Jiravi, who was enjoying the warmth with her cowl in her hands.

"I hoped you'd at least wait for me," he told her.

"I got cold," she said, lowering her head and ears.

"How cold can you be? You've got fur."

"I'm still not used to Skyrim's weather, is all."

"And how long have you been here?"

"Oh, not too long..." she began, when Elias shook his head in exasperation. He realized that four robed men were standing nearby, all watching him, and he regained his composure as best he could.

"Here we go," he mumbled, approaching the old men.

* * *

Ceilili lay curled up on the snow with her head and tail tucked under a wing to protect them from the elements. As a dragon, she didn't feel too cold, but still occasionally whispered the word "_Yol_" at the ground, lighting a small fire. Because of this, most of the snow under her outspread wing had been melted.

Eventually, the doors opened once again, and she lifted her wing, glancing toward the doors to make sure Elias was really on his way out. She saw not one, not two, but six people walking toward her, and hurriedly pulled herself into a sitting position. The four robed men, the Greybeards, regarded her with deference, before turning to Elias and suggesting that he leave.

"What?" he and Ceilili asked.

"The dragonborn has been given his quest. In the meantime, we would speak with you," one of the Greybeards said to her.

"So, we're walking down the seven-thousand steps?" M'Jiravi asked in disappointment.

"Looks like it," Elias agreed. "Unless you want to jump off the side of the mountain."

"What?!" she asked as the two walked away. "That's suicide!"

"Not if you do it slowly. The snow's soft enough."

"But the rocks aren't!" M'Jiravi shouted, before the howling wind drowned out their words.

"Welcome, High One," the Greybeard who'd previously spoken greeted in the draconic tongue.

"I need help," she told them.

"Speak; we will offer what we can."

"I need to find Dauf."

"Dauf?" he asked uncertainly. "We...don't know who that is."

"But you know me?" she asked.

"No, not us. We were told of you by another."

"Then who?" she asked. "Where is he? Can I talk to him?"

"We do not ordinarily tell visitors of him, though most visitors are not dragons. We know you're only here because you disagreed with Alduin, so we will not try to stop you. You will find him meditating on the Throat of the World."

"Really?" she asked hopefully, looking up at the peak of the mountain. She turned quickly back to the men, remembering to thank them before shooting off of the ground.

* * *

**A/N**: Well, I guess it's about time I updated this story. And I'm a jerk for only doing 1300 words, huh? Anyway, I don't have any idea how much longer this story will be. I mean, I have ideas for a sequel story (which, admittedly, could merely be added on to the first), but I don't know if I'll enact those ideas. After all, I'm realizing how many errors I've made. For one thing, the dragon alphabet doesn't even have the letter "C". I'm not sure when the Greybeards were started, but Engir would have to have been one of the first. And I'm pretty sure you don't lose every spellbook you read in-game by lighting them on fire, though that would be comical. Especially if you buy more than ten of the spellbooks and read them one after another. "Okay, I know I burnt the other seven, but I surely can't – oh, come on!"

Anyway, I'll just ignore those details, so I don't get discouraged. Unless, of course, someone thinks of a good explanation and puts it in a review. *_subtle_ hint*


	12. Chapter 12: Split

**Disclaimer**: Skyrim, Tamriel, The Elder Scrolls, and any characters, events, or depictions therein, are property of Bethesda Softworks and other license holders. That doesn't include me. I don't own those guys.

Well, it's been a while, but that will be irrelevant in only a few days. About this chapter, a warning or two:

1) I used a WHOLE LOT of the dragon language in this chapter, since I found a website with a translator for it. For those interested in this story, you may find out some helpful details if you take the time and energy to translate some parts of Paarthurnax's words. (Translating Ceilili and Dauf's real names will give some serious insight and possibly foreshadowing.) I did make sure that one could understand enough without using the dragon language, though.

2) The second half has a battle, which may become gory if you have a very image-oriented imagination. I didn't explain in too much detail, but I must still advise that readers use discretion and read at their own risk. That being said, it most likely won't bother anyone who's willing to read it.

* * *

Ceilili alighted on the small flat area on the windswept peak of the mountain, looking around for the one who the Greybeards had spoken of. Even in the snow-veiled wind, she was sure she would have seen the person, if he was there. Even after not spotting anyone nearby, she continued looking, checking for other ledges he could be standing on. Her eyes quickly rested on a short wall, which had some badly worn words on it, written in her own tongue. She stepped closer, but still couldn't recognize any of them; time had taken its toll on them. She sighed, realizing once again how long she'd been gone. These words probably hadn't even been carved when she'd abandoned her time.

"Mulnahdirn," she heard from above, in a deep voice. "Kirnd wah grind einzuk." A simple greeting.

"Paarthurnax?! Ahrk hi!" she replied happily as the larger dragon descended from his perch on the higher slope. "It is good to see a familiar face, though I am called Ceilili now."

"Rinik eyvir. Fos mil faal Dovah Jud wah dahvur us zey?" Paarthurnax asked. He was wondering why she was there; she understood him well enough, though the trip through the portal seemed to make her memories of the dragon language become fuzzy. She shook her head slightly.

"Krosis. Please, use the humans'...language."

"Rinik eyvir...very well," he agreed. "But first, zu'u fund Tinvaak wah hi."

Ceilili nodded her understanding of his desire to introduce himself with his Thu'um, and braced herself accordingly. It was only necessary to greet one another at the first meeting of dragonkind, but she understood; what had been mere days to her had been an eternity to him. She wondered which Word he would use to greet her, but not as much as whether she could withstand his Voice.

Paarthurnax descended to eye level, and braced himself as well. Ceilili prepared her mind and body for the modicum of pain his Shout would likely bring, but he surprised her when he whispered "Drem." Peace. Instantly, her mind and body were both calmed, to the point where she could think clearly and breathe easy, despite everything that had gone wrong since she'd left her own time. She took a deep breath, relishing the small gift he'd given her.

"Kogaan," she thanked him. She prepared her own body, and tried to choose a suitable shout to return. Her eyes wandered to the blizzard surrounding the mountaintop, and a word came to mind. But she quickly decided "warmth" wouldn't work, and stepped it up.

"Yol," she shouted, sending forth a ring of fire. It bathed the pale green dragon, and he threw up his head and shuddered – not in pain, but not quite pleasure, either.

"Ahh," he said slowly. "It has been some time since I had true Tinvaak with a fellow dov. Your lovaas is stronger than I remember."

"Yes...it has been a long time," she said. "But enough idle talk. Please...I must know what's happened."

"Vrah. It would seem that your plan was...pruntsefunt. It did not fail, though it did not succeed. Alduin was defeated, though not felled. He was...tiidsizaan. Misplaced."

"And now he's returned," Ceilili finished. "It is as I feared."

"Yes," Paarthurnax said with a slow nod. "But where is the other? Faaznahgol?"

"Dauf," Ceilili corrected. "With our new names, Alduin can neither find nor challenge us."

"Useful, to be certain. Faaznahgol was always...zonah. Headstrong. Worthy of his own name, and undeserving of his place in your mein. But where has he gone?"

"Tiidsizaan. It is now Dauf who is time-lost," Ceilili said. "I returned. He did not."

"Durre...he must be found."

"He will," Ceilili said sternly. "He has to...we have to."

"Vrah. I thank you for your presence, zuwath. But I do not know how I may help you."

"I came for guidance. I am no longer zuwath to any dov. I have lost Dauf, and the only hope I seem to have found is...Elias."

"Jul?"

"Ahrk Dovahkiin." Paarthurnax perked up, if only slightly. She continued, "I watched him...silgahrot Mirmulnir. He will not rise again."

"You hope to aid him? To fulfill your mein, your plan?"

"I must," she said confidently.

"But...ulaakjahr. Are you certain Alduin must be defeated? Lorot. Some say it is the destiny of the Dovahkiin to destroy Alduin, but many say it is the destiny of Alduin to destroy the world. Fah yolirend. Death brings new life."

"I care little for destiny or prophecy," Ceilili said. "I made a vow to all dov, and I will keep that vow. My kind will not be wiped from Vus."

"But your actions will affect many, whether you plan to or not. Does the Dovsejud no longer think of the future? If your actions will bring harm to the humans, you are no better than Alduin. Irkbaan jafuurend. You become that which you fight."

"Hefahus rotte!" she shouted, moving the snow at Paarthunax's feet with the force of her Shout. "How could I harm the humans by preventing the end of Vus?"

"Perhaps the end is the best thing for them," he said calmly. "You see how Skyrim enfolds itself in a meaningless war, even now. Naram von vol. It may only grow worse if Alduin does not fulfill his own purpose."

"Folaas riid," she said, growing more comfortable with her own language. "If it is vuun, then I will fail. But I will not surrender so easily. I cannot give up without doing everything I can."

Paarthurnax sighed. "I see. You will not be swayed. I apologize. You have...hrenganog...satisfied...my desire for Speaking."

"I understand," she said. She knew how readily dov could argue, and had been working before the time-jump to get rid of that behavior in herself. Paarthurnax, though, had brought it back all too readily. The elder dragon brought her from her reverie as he got himself comfortable, and then addressed her slowly.

"Now...how may I assist you, dovahseon?"

* * *

"Elias?" M'Jiravi asked nervously as the Nord crested the raised lip of the barrow. The swamp that the pair had entered had bothered her to no end, with complaints being given about the muck, her fur, and anything in between. By this point, her boots were covered in mud up to her shins, and she had dirt speckled all the way up her thighs and on her gauntlets. Elias, meanwhile, didn't seem bothered at all, which only added to her frustration. And if that wasn't enough, they had entered the foggy mire just after nightfall, a few days after they had departed High Hrothgar. M'Jiravi flinched and her fur rose sharply with each noise that her keen ears heard; even those that Elias couldn't hear.

The Khajiit held a sharp dagger in one hand, though it didn't make her seem intimidating; she held her own tail in her other hand, with both hands clenched tightly in front of her waist. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"I thought you came for the adventure. You can't tell me a few mages have already gotten the best of you."

"Fighting wolves and bandits isn't like fighting necromancers!" she shouted, before starting and looking around nervously for any other dark mages.

"Those _were_ bandits," Elias said calmly, leaping into the barrow.

"Undead bandits. Not the same."

"Alright, fine. If you want to, you can stand watch out here."

Her eyes widened, and without missing a beat, she rushed to the stairs that ringed the barrow's wall. "I'll just stay close," she explained, lowering her hands slightly. She approached as Elias pushed the door open, and grabbed his arm almost as soon as a crack appeared between the double doors.

"Shh!" she shushed. "Do you hear that?"

"No," he said, annoyed. "It's probably nothing. Now, let's –"

"No, it's people," she said. "Inside."

"Oh," he said, realizing she wasn't being overly cautious this time. "Are they friendly?"

"I don't think so. Now, shh!"

Elias held up his hands in a surrendering gesture, and slowly pushed the door open more, creeping in as quietly as he could. Before taking two steps, he opened it further without looking, giving M'Jiravi a chance to enter. When he heard nothing for a few moments, he turned around, but didn't see her in the doorway.

"'Ravi?" he whispered, turning forward again and nearly stumbling over her. Their collision almost made the pair fall, and sent a nearby skull tumbling down the stairs in front of them, but M'Jiravi didn't seem to notice.

"Watch where you're going!" she hissed with ferocity, careful not to make too much noise.

"How'd you do that? You didn't even make a –"

"Shh!"

"Alright, alright," he whispered, becoming frustrated himself. "What are they saying?"

She held up a hand and paused, before whispering, "I don't know. Something about how…something isn't useful after death."

"Necromancers," Elias breathed, drawing a sword.

"We have to fight them?" M'Jiravi asked. "I mean, can't we just sneak through?"

"And have them stumble up from behind and surround us? Not a chance."

Elias snuck down the stairs swiftly, doing his best not to make a noise. When he reached the bottom, he crouched lower, watching the pair in dark robes as they inspected the corpses that lay near them. There was plenty of cover in the room, since most of the thick stone pillars that had supported it had since fallen. Two still stood, one near him, and the other on the opposite end of the room. The only light in the room came from a variety of candles, possibly lit to help in some kind of ritual that the necromancers were enacting. They faced away from him, for now, which he was thankful for; the closer he could get before they found him, the safer he would be.

Elias started when he thought he saw the pillar to his right move, but after looking closer, he recognized a feline form, though he somehow had trouble keeping track of her. She slinked stealthily from shadow to shadow, creeping closer to the pillar across the room.

"Where are you going?" he whispered to himself.

"Huh?" one of the necromancers asked, lifting his head. "What was that?"

The necromancer looked toward Elias, who dove unceremoniously to cover behind the pillar nearest him. He heard the sounds of two daggers being drawn, and got to his feet quietly.

"Maybe another bandit?" a female asked. "Another volunteer for our experiments."

"Perhaps. Maybe he'll be hardier than the others."

"That's not a long stretch."

The voices drew closer, and Elias took a deep breath. Withdrawing a dagger, he watched the ground carefully for the first necromancer's boot to appear. He, Elias decided, was about to have a very bad day.

The boot didn't appear first, though. The necromancer's head came around the pillar first, followed closely by his hand, which held nothing but a smoldering ball of light.

"Hah!" he shouted, raising the hand. Elias was startled, focused as he had been on the ground, but leapt into action when he heard the spell discharging. He lunged the blade through his spell hand, making him cry out, and with a short sweep of his arm, cut deeply into the man's other arm. The knife in his now-injured hand fell, and Elias hit him hard on the face with the pommel of his sword, sending him to the ground with a grunt.

Without missing a beat, Elias turned to the other necromancer, but saw her laying on the ground, her eyes closed and her head in the middle of a pool of blood, a deep cut across her neck. M'Jiravi, meanwhile, was engaging a bandit, who bore injuries that would cripple an ordinary person.

"I yield! Don't kill me! I – I can help you!" the man on the ground said, clutching his injured arm with his equally-injured hand.

"Call your zombie off," Elias ordered.

"I – I can't!"

"Then I guess –" Elias began, when he heard M'Jiravi grunt. He looked over at her, and saw the bandit strike her with the back of his hand, knocking her to her seat. It raised its axe to strike again, and Elias reacted quickly, throwing his dagger at its head. The bandit moved fast enough to make one swing, which was parried, but the dagger struck it before it could swing again. The dagger stuck into its temple deeply, but aside from a slight flinch, the bandit was unaffected.

"It won't die that easily," the necromancer mocked, trying very poorly to reach for his weapon without being noticed. The zombie rushed toward Elias, who looked from it, to the necromancer, to the dagger again.

"But you will," he said, grabbing the dagger off of the ground.

The necromancer barely had time to utter "What?" before the dagger found its way to his throat. Elias plunged his sword through the bottom of the man's chin, and jerked upward hard on both weapons, ignoring the mess he was making. He didn't wait too long before pulling his weapons free, spinning to search the room once more. The now-dead corpse of the bandit was almost finished turning to ash, leaving nothing but an axe behind.

"That was disgusting!" M'Jiravi shouted, shuddering. "It almost touched me."

Elias waited until his adrenaline had calmed down a bit, before sheathing his weapons. "You still handled one of them. Really well, too."

"Well, yeah. She was alive. But that..._thing_! Ugh!"

"What is it with you and undead?" Elias asked.

"Just...forget it," she told him. "I fought it, didn't I? But I'm not doing that again."

Elias chuckled, before he heard the sounds of a fight emerging from a stairway nearby. He drew his sword once more and said, "Don't be so sure of that."

* * *

**A/N**: I get it; an update for this story was long overdue. But I can't promise that the next one will come in a reasonable amount of time. I have no excuses; I could do an update a week, for each story, if I put enough effort into it. But that is irrelevant.

I have a favor, though. With this story fresh in your thoughts, please either write a review or a PM with those thoughts. If I can see how my words make people think, it'll help me as a writer. That would include both positive and negative thoughts. And if nothing else, thanks for reading.


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